The REAL Personal Lessons Learned In 2025
122: Reflecting back on the year behind us.
Welcome reader! December is always a slower month compared to the others, making it the perfect time to reflect on the year. Wins, losses, and everything else that comes with it… A few personal lessons and observations we have picked up over the past 365 days.ju
Personal Lessons From 2025
Additional reading on the topic:
Your creativity is directly connected to how many things you are postponing: the big regret of this year has been putting off things that would eventually need to be finished anyway. These are things you can only avoid up to a certain point, after which you will find yourself with your back against the wall. What no one will tell you is that this same thing drains a massive amount of your energy (and subconscious power). Knowing deep down you should be attacking it and working on it. Instead of finding an excuse to do something else. It happens more often than we like to admit. The problem? It drains an enormous amount of energy. It makes your vision foggy. Drains you of your willpower. It messes with your subconscious, which you can only eliminate by actively working on solving the problem. Results? Creativity block. New ideas become much harder than they need to be. Feeling of weight on your shoulders... You can only run from it so much. Why instead of running from it, not fully embrace it and attack it?
Building is an antidote to slop: Creating, making, building, producing, developing, composing, engineering… No matter what you do. As long as you are doing something that fits into these categories, you are doing something right. When 98% of the people around you feel lost and aimless, those 2% who are doing something meaningful with life are going to reap rewards that others won’t. Or at least won't find themselves in the situation where others will. Lost. Miserable. Without purpose. It runs deep, and the best way to prevent yourself from ever going there is to build. No matter what it is, as long as it gives you that sense of fulfillment, it means you are on the right track. The goal is not necessarily to create something that others will find a use for, or that you can exit. The goal is to find yourself and who you are in that work.
Everything that can be done today should be done today: No matter how big or small the task is. Whether it takes 20 minutes or 2 hours. If you know it can be done today, and it WILL HAVE to be done sometime in the near future. Do it today. You will have to do it anyway. Why burden yourself and your subconscious by putting it off? Do it now. Not only will you be thankful in the end, but it will also help with momentum. Giving you a clear advantage.
You don’t need a lot of stuff, just a few right ones: Material stuff and buying things drain a massive amount of energy. The sooner you realize that you are better off buying three proper items throughout the year and assigning each a specific value, the sooner your quality of life will improve. You don’t need more stuff. You need MORE of the right stuff. Start by getting rid of the cheap stuff that you don't even need in the first place. After that, start replacing other items with higher-quality ones that you can tell were born of passion and obsession (best products… Trust us on this). Soon, you will start noticing a difference in how things are created and put out for others. No one can deny it. Less is more. Buy quality, and you will suddenly get more enjoyment from using those things.
Optimizing for walking: Easily one of the best things done this year. The whole concept comes down to doing as many things as possible, walking, and getting those steps in. It heals your soul. It is good for your body. The only downside? It takes up more of your day. Positives? everything else. Walk more… Your health will change. Your energy levels will change. Your life will change.
The dead internet theory: It feels more true each year. AI posts. AI comments. AI videos. AI music. You can feel the slop. The cheapness behind it. Giving you a sense that it was not created by someone who put effort, passion, and time into it. Those high intellectual discussions you used to have on the internet 10 - 15 years ago? Gone. The internet economy (attention economy) now rewards memes, hooks, clickbait, and rage engagement. The internet already seems dead, but it is hard to believe it won't get worse over time. Sounds ridiculous… But it is hard to see something (you spent an enormous amount of time on) turn into something completely different. With confidence, we can say that the glory days of the internet are gone. At this pace, it will serve only as a layer (a bridge) between buyers and sellers. The future lies in private communities and niche groups.
Multitasking is a myth: It simply doesn’t exist. Whatever you are doing and whatever you want to do properly. You will need to focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking makes sense only when you are handling low-value, low-cognitive tasks that don't require attention and can be automated if possible. Since that is not always the case… That is when you start multitasking. Everything else? Not worth it. It is bad and kills your work and creativity.
Knowing what type of performer you are (early or late night) will change how you work: Pay attention. It is one of those things you need to remind yourself of often. When you manage to achieve more and deliver better results between 6-8am vs 8-12pm, you realize that you should prioritize working in the morning. It sounds ridiculous until you start paying attention and notice the pattern. Those 2 hours spent waking up earlier every day might save you 10 - 20 hours per week if done right. Start paying attention to who you are as a performer (early or late one). It might change how you approach tasks and how much work you can deliver.
It is all about gratitude: Every day when you wake up, tell yourself how happy you are to be in the position you are. Struggling with this daily practice? Want to take it further? Take a moment to look around for an item that gives you something and is within your reach. Come up with 3 - 5 things you are grateful to have in your life (how they help you), and in what way. Do this every day. Do the same for the people. Let them know how much they mean to you. Do the same for the work you do. Let yourself realize how much it means to you. This is what it is all about. Simply being aware of what you have in your life can improve it.
Luck can be engineered: Seriously. Wake up, tell yourself you are the luckiest person today, expose yourself to uncomfortable and new situations, + put effort into things others are not ready to put… And quickly, you will find yourself in a position where others are not. Some might even call you lucky in the process. Works 10/10 times.
When you are riding that momentum… RIDE it: Everything in life works in cycles. Things are going great for 3 months, and then the next 3 months could be the worst ones you have ever experienced. The experienced players know that when things are working in your favor, that is when you should push even harder. If you are unaware of this… The first step is to start paying attention and notice which part of the cycle you are in. It doesn't mean that if you are not on a winning streak or things are not working in your favor. You should give up. No. Quite the opposite. It means that once you get out of it, you will skyrocket and establish a new baseline. But recognizing that you should push harder when things are going your way is not something everyone can conceptualize or grasp. Most instead of taking it harder decide to take it easier.
Good music is still being created: Once you pass a certain age. The more often you will be hit with the idea that good music is no longer being made. Wrong. There is a lot of it. The problem, as with everything else on the internet, is how to detect it in the sea of nonsense. GOOD music is still being created. For those who don't believe us…
Woo-woo stuff never makes sense… Until it does: If you are wondering why elite businessmen, investors, founders, CEOs, coaches, entrepreneurs, tycoons, and high network individuals are all into mindset (woo-woo) stuff. It is because they no longer need to worry about the basics or be in survival mode. When bills, food, and who is going to pick up the kids from school or clean the bathroom don’t cause problems anymore. Better said, it is out of the picture. That is when you have enough mental space (ability) to think about things that don't directly impact your survival. But it has a massive effect on your daily activities and how you approach life. There are only two groups of people who neglect mindset work and its power. Those struggling to keep up with the basics (survival mode) and fools. Don’t be any of those.
Mental health should be one of the top priorities: We doubt we realize how bad things are for most people around us. Those reading this are the lucky ones. The ones on the right side of the internet with the right perspective on life. Most people around you? Opposite of that. For everyone living in a big city, you already know what we are aiming at. Miserable, jealous, resentful, dangerous, unpredictable, aggressive. The state of the average. Normies. NPC. Zero idea how to define them. Dangerous individuals. Your goal? Not to fall into the same category. Mental health is important, and understanding how to nurture it and stay sane has never been more critical. This is phase 1 of mental health decline. One that you should be aware of. Meaning you know where things are headed and what you can do about it.
You need to do something with your hands: It will give you a deeper understanding of what life is truly about. To a point, it gives you meaning. Directly connected to creation. There is something powerful in creating with your hands and making things work, or in seeing them completely transform into something different from what they originally were. Giving them new life and a new purpose. It goes deep. And this should be your sign to try something new. Work on an old car engine, create something from wood, or fix the old electronics lying around in the attic. There is tremendous power in it, and one that enhances your life.
When you can’t recognize the beauty around you: No matter what everyone tries to tell you. The beauty is everywhere around you. If you don't believe it, just spend 10 minutes looking out your window. Sun, birds, plants… Everyone defines beauty differently. It might be the smell of the coffee you had this morning. Or the music you played while taking a shower. The beauty is everywhere. Not noticing that beauty? Everything feels off? It is a clear sign that something is holding you back. Too much on your plate? Not happy with your current situation? Dig deeper… There is a good chance something is holding you back. We can guarantee that something is holding you back. If you are in that situation right now and can't see the beauty in the world… You have work to do.
Getting to know who YOU are: The common misconception is that you know who you are and that you should define it by your 30s. Wrong. There are people out there who are technical individuals living creative lives, people running teams who should not be running teams in the first place, and creatives struggling to keep up with deadlines and fit into routines. Once you figure out who you are, start positioning yourself accordingly. That is when things will start clicking. Good metric to follow? How effortless it feels to work. Struggling to keep people in check? It might not be something you were meant to do in the first place. If coming up with new designs and ideas feels effortless. It is a clear sign. The best part? It is never too late. The only thing you need to do is pay attention and implement this thought (idea, insight, process, or however you want to classify it) in what you are doing with your life right now. You might realize that the path you are on is not the one you should be on.
Disclaimer: None of this is to be legal or financial advice of any kind.